Power element



r 2,893,244 Ice Patented July 7, 1959 7 POWER ELEMENT Sergius Vernet, Yellow Springs, Ohio, assignor to Antioch College, YellowSprings, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application May 9, 1956, Serial No. 583,787

4 Claims. (Cl. 73-358) Thisinvention relates to a power element operable by pressure change in a pressure-producing material. The pressure-producing material may be a contained thermally expansible material as for example disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,259,846, or the pressure-producing material may be a pressure fluid introduced from a remote source as illustrated in Fig. 3 of U.S. Patent No. 2,534,497.

Power elements of the above discussed type usually include a housing for the pressure-producing material, and a piston slidably mounted in the housing. Pressure change in the pressure-producing material causes the piston to move rectilinearly into and out of the housing.

For certain applications it is desirable that the piston have a rotary movement instead of a rectilinear movement. A principal object of the present invention is to provide for rotary piston movement in an economically formed power element construction.

Other objects of this invention will appear in the following description and appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of one embodiment of the invention taken on line 1-1 in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on line 2-2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view on a reduced scale of a partition plate 14 employed in the Fig. 1 embodiment.

Before explaining the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and arrange ment of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings, since the invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation.

In the drawings there is shown a power element 1 including a housing 2, pressure-producing material 3, and a body of force-transmitting material 4.

Pressure-producing material 3 may be any of several thermally expansible materials, as for example the vinyl chloride polymer-diphenyl-heat conducting particle material disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,259,846. For certain applications the pressure within housing 2 may be developed by introducing pressure fluid into the housing from a remote source as illustrated in Fig. 3 of U.S. Patent No. 2,534,497.

In the illustrated embodiment pressure-producing material 3 is contained within expansible-contractible metal envelopes 5 of the type disclosed in copending application, Serial No. 513,455, filed on June 6, 1955. Force transmitting material 4 is in the illustrated embodiment the pliable material formed of discrete particles of polytetrafiuoroethylene in a carrier of polyethylene. This material may be compounded in the manner disclosed in copending application, Serial No. 498,655, filed on April 1, 1955.

Housing 2 includes a cup element 6 and a cover element 7. Element 7 includes an annular wall portion 8 and a sleeve portion 9. Element 6 includes an annular shoulder 10 and a peripheral flange 11. Assembly of elements 5 and 6 is effected by turning an edge portion of flange 11 down from its dotted line position to its full line position in clamping engagement with annular wall portion 8. Annular wall portion 8 is recessed to form a cylindrical chamber 12 centered on the axis of bore 13 formed by sleeve 9. Chamber 12 is defined by an arcuate surface 30 and a planar surface 32. A flat partition 14 is fixedly positioned between shoulder 10 and wall por tion 8 so as to partially isolate chamber 12 from chamber 15 formed by cup element 6. A quadrant-shaped opening 16 inpartition 14 provides limited communication between chambers 15 and 12.

Rotatably positioned in bore 13 is a shaft 17. The lower end 18 of shaft 17 is reduced for rotatable reception in an opening 19 in partition 14. A vane 20 is fixedly secured on shaft 17 and extends to the walls of cylindrical chamber 12. A partition 21 fixedly extends from partition 14 into chamber 12.

During pressure increase within cup element 2 (as occurs during expansion of material 3 in response to temperature increase in ambient atmosphere 25) material 4 acts against extension 20 to force it in the direction of arrow 22. Movement of extension 20 in the arrow 22 direction effects a clockwise rotation of shaft 17. An extension 26 on shaft 17 abuts against fixed partition 21 to limit clockwise rotation of the shaft.

During pressure decrease within cup element 2 (as occurs during contraction of material 3 in response to temperature decrease in atmosphere 25) an exterior pressure-applying mechanism (not shown) returns vane 20 and shaft 17 to their illustrated positions.

Power element 1 may be employed to operate any of several different devices, as for example a valve or a switch. Either housing 2 or shaft 17 may be fixedly secured to the operated device, depending on the particular construction and position of the device being operated.

It is contemplated that the shape of the variable volume chamber defined by cup element 2 and the pressure face 23 of vane 20 could be varied from that illustrated in the drawings, since the pressure of material 4 would be transmitted against face 23 whatever the shape of the variable volume chamber.

I claim:

1. A power element comprising a housing; the interior surfaces of the housing walls forming a first relatively small chamber defined by two parallel wall surfaces and an interconnecting arcuate wall surface, and a second relatively large chamber in communication with the first chamber; a shaft extending into the housing along the axis defined by the arcuate wall surface; a vane carried by the shaft within the first chamber; pressure-producing material within the second chamber; and solid, deformable force-transmitting material in the first chamber acting to transmit the force of the pressure-producing material to the vane.

2. A power element comprising a housing; one wall of the housing being internally recessed to define a cylindrical chamber; a partition plate isolating the cylindrical chamber from the housing interior; said partition having an opening therethrough providing limited communication between the housing interior and the cylindrical chamber; a shaft extending into said one wall along the axis of the cylindrical chamber; a radially extending vane carried by the shaft in the cylindrical chamber; a second partition fixedly extending from the first partition into the cylindrical chamber; and pressureproducing material within the housing interior; whereby pressure increase within the housing interior is effective I 3 to turn the vane around" the shaft axis and thereby rotate the shaft.

3. A power element comprising a housing; one wall of said housing being recessed to form an arcuate chamber; a; shaft rotatably extending into said one wall; said chamber being at least partially defined by an arcuate surface centered at the shaft axis; a vane radiating from thershaft withinthe a-rcuate chamber; and thermally expansible material withinthe housing in pressure communication with said vane; whereby thermal expansion of the expansible material Within the housing is effective to propel the vane in the arcuate chamber so as to-eifect rotation of the shaft.

4. A power elementcomprisinga cup; 21 Wall extendingacross the month ofsaid eupg said wall being recessed in'its internal face to form a cylindrical chamber; a partition extending along said internal face to isolate the cylindrical chamber from the cup interior; said partition having an opening therethrough providing limited com munication between the cup interior and the cylindrical chamber; a shaft extending through the aforementioned wall and into the cylindrical chamber along the axis thereof; a radially extending vane on the shaft in the cylindrical chamber; a second partition fixedly extending from the first partition into the cylindrical chamber; and pressure-producing material within the cup interior; whereby pressure increase within the cup is effective to turn the vane around the shaft axis and thereby rotate 10 the shaft.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

